News from Ukraine, Eastern Europe

Located roughly 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled territory in Krasnodar Krai, the refinery is among the largest in southern Russia, producing nearly 6.6 million tons of fuel annually.

Moldova is set to receive 100 million euros ($114 million) from the EU to bolster its air defenses, two officials told the Kyiv Independent.

We visited a prisoner-of-war camp in western Ukraine to speak directly with Russian POWs captured on the battlefield.

Under Zelensky, sanctions have increasingly been imposed on Ukrainian citizens. Legal experts describe the practice as highly questionable and warn that it is used to punish government critics and political opponents.

"Such statements... are not only taken note of, but also factored into military and political planning," the Russian embassy in the Netherlands said after Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten voiced support for Ukrainian strikes into Russian territory.

The next step unlocks a to-do list of reforms to align Ukraine and Moldova's foreign policies with EU norms.

Xavier Niel, the French billionaire and owner of Ukraine’s third-largest telecom operator, has become the largest shareholder of the Vodafone Group after buying a 16.2% stake in the company, Niel’s investment vehicle Vega announced on July 10.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would pursue the goals laid out in June 2024, which included Ukraine's full withdrawal from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Smoke and a fire were reported near Moscow's oil refinery on July 10, according to Telegram monitoring channels, though the cause of the blaze has not been confirmed.

"I'd rather those missiles intercept projectiles over Ukraine than have Russian missiles ever reach Poland," Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

The enemy attempted to launch a large-scale offensive but, in fact, failed to achieve any of its objectives despite having an almost twofold advantage in personnel and equipment," Syrskyi said following a meeting reviewing the military's performance during the first half of the year."

Russia launched 137 attack drones overnight, Ukraine's Air Force said.

The number includes 1,460 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.